aini ground.

french forces strike and the rebels are fighting back. islamist rebels control the country and are making a push south so government leaders called on their former colonial rulers for help but the french have ran into a well armed force. french helicopters and fighter jets attack cities in the north over the weekend. they destroyed rebel bases and ammunition repos. the rebels are making gains elsewhere. they defeated government forces the. the rebels have acquired a large cash of weapon from libya. police in india are looking

for leads in two more cases of alleged rape. a gang rape last month triggered protests. the press trust of india says a group of drunken men chased down and raped a woman. the woman jumped from a train between stations and was found hanging from a tree. she was 32 years old. police in western india arrested a man for raping and killing a 9-year-old girl. the man committed a similar crime ten years ago and has been released from prison. indians have taken to the street to demand more. some indians say police officers refuse to acknowledge accusations of rape and ask victims if they were to blame.

police in beijing are having a hard time seeing their city. the air is a hazy mess. it's filled with something called fine particlate matter. the dense fog prompted people to drive with their highlights on throughout the day. beijing municipal authorities said the air pollution alert is its highest level. they've ordered some schools to keep children indoors and factories to scale back operations. >> translator: we avoid going outside. i never open windows at home. >> hospitals in the capital have recorded an increase in the number of patients with respiratory problems. many residents are coping with the pollution by wearing masks. beijing authorities explained in an emergency news conference

that fumes from coal-heating devices are mixing with car and factory emissions. they also said weak winds and high levels of humidity in recent days may have made the situation worse. japan, the united states and other nations use strict environmental regulations to control the levels of fine particulate matter. the chinese government set its own standards in february of last year after a wave of criticism both at home and abroad. but public discontent continues to grow, mainly in urban areas, as authorities in china struggle to clear the air. parents wo who last their children in a mass shooting in connecticut are demanding stricter gun control. the gunman killed 20 children and six adults. sandy hook elementary school remain closed.

stu students returned to class earlier this month at a different building. >> this is a promise to turn the conversations into action. things must change. this is the time. this is a promise we make to our precious children. >> i would respectfully request that every parent in this country who hears these words simply pause for a moment and think, ask yourself, what is it worth doing to keep your children safe. >> president barack obama says he plans to announce new gun control measures later this week. >> if there's a step we can take that will save even one child from what happened in newtown, we should take that step. >> the measures are expected to checks for all gun pchas and an o assault weapons.

investigators from japan's transport ministry are looking into the safety of japan airline's newest plains. they'll try to find out why fuel leaked from a 787 dreamliner. oil spilled from a nozzle last tuesday at boston logan's airport. they found fuel leaking from a different nozzle on the same wing. the transport ministry inspectors will check the fuel coro system and examine each valve. they want to know whether the problem is unique to one plane or affects other boeings. investors who have been sitting on the fence like what they see out of tokyo. >> they are going to like what they see today. tokyo stocks are kicking off the week in positive territory. that's held by the weaker yen.

they are resuming trading today after a 3-day weekend. the nikkei has reached its highest levels. tokyo shares are much higher. yen weakness is prompting traders to buy a wide range of stocks including export related ones. the nikkei gained on expectations that it will take further action to pull out of prolonged inflation. the dollar is trading at a two and a half year low amid 89 yen. at 89.55 to 59. market participants say it's due to stronger expectations that japan central bank will take full action in coming months. let's take a look at the euro because earlier this tokyo it

hit the highest level. let's take a look at other markets in the asia pacific. the kospi is trading down at 1,998. australia is trading higher at 4,728. u.s. president barack obama says republicans have to do what he calls the right thing on raising the debt ceiling. he says if they don't the u.s. faces a federal default and confusion in financial markets. >> the republicans can act responsibly and y amica' bills or put america through another economic crisis. >> obama says raising the debt limit is necessary for the government to meet its obligations. he said he's willing to compromise on cutting the budget deficit but not in exchange for

increasing the debt ceiling. the u.s. government has reached a borrowing limit set by law but republicans continue to reject an increase without spending cuts in social security and other programs. now it's not the first time the u.s. has faced such a stand off. in the summer of 2011 the government and coness mained at odds over raising the limit until the last minute. the incident weighed down on share prices. it also prompted the first downgrade on u.s. government bonds. global car makers are showcasing their latest model at the 2013 international auto show in detroit. more than 50 new models are on display. the u.s. automarket has been recovering with sales rising more than 13% from the previous year. japanese automakers are focusing on fuel efficient compact cars that are gaining popularity. toyota is introducing a new

streamline model in an effort to attract young u.s. car makers including ford and general motors are showcasing small cars as well as small vehicles like pickup truck. pickup truck have been avoided by consumer until now but automakers expect a recovery in sales. competition is also neck to neck with these guys. the people at toyota motor are getting ready to be called the world's biggest automaker once again. they look to be back on top with predicted sales last year bigger than any other car maker. toyota officials expect group wide sales to total 9.7 million

units across the world. gm officials said sales were just try of 9.3 million. that's up nearly 3%. euro europe's largest car maker shows sales above 9 million units. that's up 11% from the previous year. toyota was the biggest sell r through 2010. in 2011 it was left reeling by the disaster of flood. toyota officials forecast this year they will sell over 9.9 million units. let's take a look at what's happening this week on the global economic scene. on tuesday u.s. retail sales for december will come out. november sales rose 0.3% from

the previous month underscoring a recovery in personal spending. the consumer price index is due out on wednesday. the cpi dipped 3% from october. that was the first decline in six months. the fed beige book on regional u.s. economic activity will come out on the same day. the previous report noted the regional economy continue to gradually grow. in japan machinery orders will be released. this iortant gauge showed a 2.6 month on month increase in october. on friday china will announce gdp data for 2012 as well as for the whole year. between july and september gdp expanded 7.4% from a year earlier.

now just a few minutes ago i read that the dollar is trading at a 2$2.5 year low. that dollar is trading at a 2.5 year high. here is the market recaps. japan women want to have place to turn for help.

25 institutions in japan now offer invitro fertilization. they have to find their own donor. donors will have to younger than 35 years old. they must already have children and be willing to donate eggs without compensation. recipients must be under 40 and they must have illnesses or genetic abnormalities that prevent them from conceiving. donors won't be allowed to meet the recipients, but the children will be allowed to see details about the donor when they turn 15. thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracts of land awaiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy.

but step by step, people are moving forward. find out how on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time right here on "newsline." robotics engineers in japan are playing catch up. their technology wasn't able to help after the 2011 accident. but they've been fine tuning their inventions to make them better able to deal with challenges inside the damaged nuclear plant. >> reporter: it will take at least 30 years to decommission the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. there's a lot of work to be done. radiation levels are too high for workers to be inside for long. and that's where the robots come

in. the first one inside was made in the u.s. it was used to collect data on physical damage and radiation. japanese robot developers felt they'd been beaten to the punch and they wanted to do more. >> translator: there were no japanese robots in there. people were wondering what our robots were even for so we were determined to make a difference no matter how small. >> reporter: the team was tasked with reimagining a domestic robot for use inside the plant. the quinn was a rescue robot designed to operate in disaster zones like collapsed buildings. its body was covered in treads that enabled it to climb through rubble and up steep staircases. intense heat, extreme humidity and other obstacles stood in the way of a successful mission inside the fukushima daiichi

plant. it had shallow rectangular treads that wouldn't let it hook on to the rounded steps. this prevented it from moving freely inside the reactor buildings. he honed in on the robot's treads. he experimented with different designs and found taller triangular teeth were the solution. they proved more durable than the rectangular treads. there's no room for error when a robot is sent into a nuclear plant. once it's exposed to radiation, it can't be retrieved for repairs. so engineers need to make sure the robot won't break down. his team made the machine more solid and outfitted it with more rugged treads. the bot navigated stairways, recorded video and measured radiation levels on the top floor for the first time. >> translator: we wanted to focus on a different area than the u.s. robots so we made lots

of improvements before sending it into the plant. >> reporter: but there was still a part of the building the robot couldn't access. the basement. it's flooded with radioactive water, which is leaking. damaged areas urgently need to be identified. but the landing of the stair well that leads to the basement is too narrow for the robot to pass through. he and his team are working on a smaller version that's about 70% the size of the quints. the circuits used in the body are the smallest available. so he separated and stacked them to reduce the robot's size. this new design enables it to explore the basement. the compact robot will be

fine-tuned and in the near future deployed inside the fukushima daiichi power plant. many complex operations are required to decommission the reactors. engineers will need to respond to each stage of the process. they'll have to develop robots that can clear all the hurdles. searers believe it's all i the details. pedestrian in japan are turning their head at a new and unusual kind of bicycle. it's made of a material that's got people taking a closer look. >> reporter: a new type of a bicycle has arrived on the streets of tokyo. what makes these bikes so unusual is its frame.

it's made of bamboo. >> translator: it's unbelievably light. >> translator: the bamboo frame is shock absorbent so it's so easy to ride. >> reporter: this is where the bikes are made. in zambia. the man in charge is 34-year-old kamba. he set up this company six years ago. before that, he run a used car dealership. instead of importing finished products, he wanted to produce his own. since 2003, the economy has been steadily growing. but most of that growth hinges on mining copper and other raw materials. and this concerns jakamba. >> we are used to buy things, supplying raw materials to the western world. then we receive finished

products. why don't we have finished products ourselves and export to the rest of the world? >> reporter: to get his business growing, chikamba hired ten young people. two years later, they came out with a product that's caught on big in zambia. it's called a bicycle with a long covered. many hospitals in zambia can't afford a truck. so it's in big demand. but chikamba had another idea, to make a bicycle using material that grows locally, bamboo. >> it's a bit of a product. we have excess in africa.

coming to a point to convert it to a bike, it's something that's a novelty. it's unique. >> reporter: bamboo in zambia is very durable. its thickness is just right for bicycle frames. once the bamboo dries out, workers cut it. then they join it. next, they bind it several times. after the resin hardens, it has to be sanded. it's a painstaking process that involves six types of sandpaper. and finally, they apply waterproof finish. from the start to finish, the process takes three months. every step of the process is checked thoroughly.

the workers measure the distance between the frame and the gears down to the millimeter. they make sure that the chain is properly aligned. finally, three years ago, the bamboo bike is ready for export. it's in more than ten countries. >> we've not only given them jobs, they are making enough money from the bikes to sustain themselves. when i look at that, that is success to me. >> reporter: he said his company is not only making bikes, but changi lives. nhk world. most people aren't riding their bikes. they're walking through slushy snow this morning. >> things are difficult for

traveling here in tokyo. yesterday the snow that was about eight centimeters, today the roads are dangerous. the falling snow is something we should take precaution throughout the day. this is due to a well developed system that moved through the country pulling really col air from the north flashing with the southerly moisture. this is some of the pictures i took. this happened within two hours around 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. you can see now one out ere.

things are going to be tapering off. intensifying the wintry pressure in the north western area. heavy snow will still be possible and associated with the strong wind that will be picking up the waves as much as three to five meters. the blowing snow will still be in store for the people in northwest. across the bigger here in continental asia we'll watch the peninsula, china and mongolia looking dry. they have a low pressure system moving across north eastern china and really cool air. temperatures will be dipping down here across the korean peninsula. thunder showers will be on southern philippines. tokyo we have the strong winds

remaining. a lot cooler than the actual temperatures. here in seoul two degrees but on thursday dipping down to minus 2. across north america this cold front stretches all the way down into the deep south. this is where we have flash flood warnings, flood warnings in the lower mississippi valley. ice warnings are in place. we don't usually hear ice accumulations make traveling really dangerous or impossible. if you must travel bring flashlight, food and keep water in your vehicle. it's a roller coaster ride. with the temperatures across the denv denver, chicago, all these areas where we seen mid teens last week. chicago is back to their norm. houston down to just six. here across the mediterranean in

europe thunderstorms, gusts and hail. these are going to be in store here. the british isles we'll see heavy snow. in paris we'll see scattered snow. keeping yourself in the double digits. here is the extended forecast.

>> that's all for this edition of "newsline." thanks for joining us.